Topic: 2011 Kia Sportage EL Luxury; Day 1

[CanuckS2K]

Does the panoramic roof open as well?

The regular part of the panoramic roof does slide/tilt open, however it does not open in the back where the rear passengers are.

[Dante]

A few manufacturers do this with their competitors, probably the best place to look.  It's a LOT of work.

Did it in an Excel spreadsheet when I was shopping few years ago - for three vehicles, one trim each though. It only takes time to build the core features column; the rest is Y/N/P/O/etc so not that complicated or very time consuming. OK, it would take few days/a week maybe for an inclusive list. Is that a LOT of work?

Manufacturers are bias - they only pick and chose model/trims to favor their offerings.

Making a spreadsheet is one thing, putting it all in a DB that is usable by the masses is another.  Are you talking about doing only 3-5 cars?  Sure but if we were to do something like this it would include every car available in Canada it would take months of work, many months, and then it needs to be updated about 3-4 times a year because options/trims etc change.  Then it starts all over -- we could hire 2 people full time just to do that!

I see your point, but a feature like Compact SUVs Comparison could be a start.

[Dante]

Does the panoramic roof open as well?

The regular part of the panoramic roof does slide/tilt open, however it does not open in the back where the rear passengers are.

This is good enough IMO.

[Shnak]

A few manufacturers do this with their competitors, probably the best place to look.  It's a LOT of work.

Did it in an Excel spreadsheet when I was shopping few years ago - for three vehicles, one trim each though. It only takes time to build the core features column; the rest is Y/N/P/O/etc so not that complicated or very time consuming. OK, it would take few days/a week maybe for an inclusive list. Is that a LOT of work?

Manufacturers are bias - they only pick and chose model/trims to favor their offerings.

Making a spreadsheet is one thing, putting it all in a DB that is usable by the masses is another.  Are you talking about doing only 3-5 cars?  Sure but if we were to do something like this it would include every car available in Canada it would take months of work, many months, and then it needs to be updated about 3-4 times a year because options/trims etc change.  Then it starts all over -- we could hire 2 people full time just to do that!

One suggestion: build the engine and let us populate the values. I'm sure each of us could spend a little of our time populating the values for each of the trims, and make sure everything's updated when anything changes. Kind of like wikipedia.

[aaron]

My $26400. out the door price for '10 Santa Fe GL V6 FWD looks very compelling next to this 33K Sportage.

$26400 out the door? That means what, about $21500 before pdi and taxes are added. That's close to $8k off from list price... pretty incredible price!!

Sorry, I meant $26400. incl. freight, PDI, AC and tire tax.  GST and PST not included.  The car was $4500. off list price.  $24500. before freight, PDI, etc.  List was $28999.

Wow, when did you pick this up? We got ours in the spring and nothing close to those prices, but when we got it they where just getting in the '10s with new motor/tranny's, still worth it. I know comparing a Santa Fe V6 FWD isn't apples-to-apples when up against a loaded Sportage, but it should make potential buyers of the Kia really evaluate what they want out of a crossover. If the newest style and luxury features is #1 then yes the price might be justified, but otherwise the Santa Fe (and even Kia's own Sorento) offer more vehicle for the same or less money, and you get Hyundai's excellent new 3.5L V6.

[Shnak]

My $26400. out the door price for '10 Santa Fe GL V6 FWD looks very compelling next to this 33K Sportage.

$26400 out the door? That means what, about $21500 before pdi and taxes are added. That's close to $8k off from list price... pretty incredible price!!

Sorry, I meant $26400. incl. freight, PDI, AC and tire tax.  GST and PST not included.  The car was $4500. off list price.  $24500. before freight, PDI, etc.  List was $28999.

Wow, when did you pick this up? We got ours in the spring and nothing close to those prices, but when we got it they where just getting in the '10s with new motor/tranny's, still worth it. I know comparing a Santa Fe V6 FWD isn't apples-to-apples when up against a loaded Sportage, but it should make potential buyers of the Kia really evaluate what they want out of a crossover. If the newest style and luxury features is #1 then yes the price might be justified, but otherwise the Santa Fe (and even Kia's own Sorento) offer more vehicle for the same or less money, and you get Hyundai's excellent new 3.5L V6.

Sure but top of the line models are rarely a 'good deal'... You can get a base Veracruz for less than the top of the line Santa Fe. You can get a base Elantra for less than a top of the line Accent. That's always been the case.

Besides, as soon as the new Santa Fe comes along, it won't be offered with as much incentives as it is right now, bringing its price more in-line with its actual competitors like the Sorento, Edge, etc, etc.

[Winterpeg]

My $26400. out the door price for '10 Santa Fe GL V6 FWD looks very compelling next to this 33K Sportage.

Unless you really dig leather, panoramic roof, power seats and the like, if I were to get one of these, I wouldn't go past a mid level trim.  It's a small car after all.

Or wait a year or two for significant incentives.

The bubbly shape of the rear hatch bugs me with the lack of a proper rear bumper, a rear end collision could be costly.

Totally agree with you there Minou....
Most vechicles today will cost mega b$$ks to fix even with  low impact damage.....it's the price we pay for having style mixed with areodynamics I suppose.
One reason I chose my Echo 4dr for....   

[Winterpeg]

The price is completely out to lunch.  Kia's building some decent vehicles, but perception and resale have a long way to go.  This thing will depreciate to 50% of sticker in a year.

....And all the better for us used car buyers....now if the repair record equals the current tread here.....looking good!     

[Minou]

My $26400. out the door price for '10 Santa Fe GL V6 FWD looks very compelling next to this 33K Sportage.

$26400 out the door? That means what, about $21500 before pdi and taxes are added. That's close to $8k off from list price... pretty incredible price!!

Sorry, I meant $26400. incl. freight, PDI, AC and tire tax.  GST and PST not included.  The car was $4500. off list price.  $24500. before freight, PDI, etc.  List was $28999.

Wow, when did you pick this up? We got ours in the spring and nothing close to those prices, but when we got it they where just getting in the '10s with new motor/tranny's, still worth it. I know comparing a Santa Fe V6 FWD isn't apples-to-apples when up against a loaded Sportage, but it should make potential buyers of the Kia really evaluate what they want out of a crossover. If the newest style and luxury features is #1 then yes the price might be justified, but otherwise the Santa Fe (and even Kia's own Sorento) offer more vehicle for the same or less money, and you get Hyundai's excellent new 3.5L V6.

Sure but top of the line models are rarely a 'good deal'... You can get a base Veracruz for less than the top of the line Santa Fe. You can get a base Elantra for less than a top of the line Accent. That's always been the case.

Besides, as soon as the new Santa Fe comes along, it won't be offered with as much incentives as it is right now, bringing its price more in-line with its actual competitors like the Sorento, Edge, etc, etc.

Bought my 'Fe last month and been driving it for 5 weeks now.  I have a topic with pictures in the Show'n'Shine section.  What trim/engine did you get?

My point is that even if you pile on the options and luxury features on the Sportage, the driving experience won't be significantly different or better than that of the 23K base model.  Performance might even suffer with the weight of AWD and all those extras.

[dr00x]

If you can get all the incentives from Ford then a '11 Edge AWD Limited seems a better buy. At least it seemed to me  . Actually I really like the exterior design of the Sportage a lot but for me it was either the entry level Sportage awd or the Edge limited. I did a short test drive for a Luxury but somehow felt like my '09 Sonata, with a higher driving position  .

[Shnak]

My point is that even if you pile on the options and luxury features on the Sportage, the driving experience won't be significantly different or better than that of the 23K base model.  Performance might even suffer with the weight of AWD and all those extras.

Again, I'm not sure what you're saying... you think the $37,599 top-of-the-line Santa Fe drives better than the $28,999 base V6 Santa Fe? I'm pretty sure it doesn't!

[Minou]

My point is that even if you pile on the options and luxury features on the Sportage, the driving experience won't be significantly different or better than that of the 23K base model.  Performance might even suffer with the weight of AWD and all those extras.

Again, I'm not sure what you're saying... you think the $37,599 top-of-the-line Santa Fe drives better than the $28,999 base V6 Santa Fe? I'm pretty sure it doesn't!

No it doesn't either, same as for the Sportage.

[greengs]

My point is that even if you pile on the options and luxury features on the Sportage, the driving experience won't be significantly different or better than that of the 23K base model.  Performance might even suffer with the weight of AWD and all those extras.

Again, I'm not sure what you're saying... you think the $37,599 top-of-the-line Santa Fe drives better than the $28,999 base V6 Santa Fe? I'm pretty sure it doesn't!

What everyone here is trying to say is $33K is too much for a 4 cylinder Kia Sportage that doesn't even come with Nav.  We'll see if the market agrees or not.  But the way things are going right now with most manufacturers having to offer incentives to move stock, I can't see many people buying fully loaded Sportages at those prices.

[Shnak]

My point is that even if you pile on the options and luxury features on the Sportage, the driving experience won't be significantly different or better than that of the 23K base model.  Performance might even suffer with the weight of AWD and all those extras.

Again, I'm not sure what you're saying... you think the $37,599 top-of-the-line Santa Fe drives better than the $28,999 base V6 Santa Fe? I'm pretty sure it doesn't!

What everyone here is trying to say is $33K is too much for a 4 cylinder Kia Sportage that doesn't even come with Nav.  We'll see if the market agrees or not.  But the way things are going right now with most manufacturers having to offer incentives to move stock, I can't see many people buying fully loaded Sportages at those prices.

I just don't understand what the problem is. You're basically saying that most people will prefer to chose a mid-trim instead of the top-of-the-line trim... which is true for every single vehicle on the market. The top-of-the-line trim of any vehicle is never a 'good deal'. I'd bet that the top-of-the-line trim only accounts for like 5% of most vehicles. Same will be true with this Sportage.

[Minou]

So we all agree.

[dirtyjeffer]

A few manufacturers do this with their competitors, probably the best place to look.  It's a LOT of work.

yup...it's a US site, but it's a start:

http://www.hyundaiusa.com/competitive-comparisons/

[wing]

That's pretty comprehensive for a manufacturer!  Kind of funny I compared an Accent to an A6 and the A6 was missing some important features like Manual adjustable mirrors and cloth seats and was $40k more than the Accent! Winner .... Accent!

It's kind of creepy how similar it is to our comparevehicles tool.

[conwelpic]

Sorry, I meant $26400. incl. freight, PDI, AC and tire tax.  GST and PST not included.  The car was $4500. off list price.  $24500. before freight, PDI, etc.  List was $28999.

there is all discounts on 2010 models, as KIA was giving $5000 off list for a 2010 Sportage for example and the same if not more for the 2010 Sorento, so you can't really compare.  You won't find heavy discounts on any 2011 model from most manufacturers.

Besides the Sportage is competition to the Tucson, not the Santa Fe as the Sorento does that.  A 2011 Tucson Ltd msrp is $32,249; a CR-V EX-L msrp is $33,490 but thats a 2010 model; also the Rav4 Ltd with leather msrp is $34,150 but again that is a 2010 model.  So you have to check to see what you actually receive for that price.  Like any manufacturer the high end models usually is not the largest part of there sales, too bad they didn't test the mid range model and then the price wouldn't be the dominate topic on this thread.

[Factger]

This Vehicle will not have any major discounts for a while.  Good looking all round and great on gas, it will be a major seller for kia just like the new Hyundai Tucson.

I find mfgs really make their money or a large profit on the options and not on the base models.
 

You won't find heavy discounts on any 2011 model from most manufacturers.

That is not the case for the 2011 edge. Delivery in 6 to 8 weeks.

[conwelpic]

That is not the case for the 2011 edge. Delivery in 6 to 8 weeks.

check back tomorrow and see what it is as that ends today    I see they make up for it in financing at 6.99%